Singapore’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes to be honoured in Parliament for their feats in Paris
SINGAPORE – Singapore’s athletes who competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics will be honored at the October Parliament session for their performances in France. Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth, Edwin Tong, announced this in a Facebook post on Sept 23.
Mr. Tong stated: “The Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY) will propose a motion to congratulate all our athletes, especially medallists Jeralyn Tan, Maximilian Maeder, and Yip Pin Xiu, for their remarkable achievements at the Games. Our athletes will also be invited to attend Parliament.”
Singapore’s Olympic team included 23 athletes, who competed from July 26 to Aug 11. Among them, Maeder made history by securing a bronze medal in kitefoiling.
In addition to this, more groundbreaking achievements followed during the Paralympics, held from Aug 28 to Sept 8. Singapore’s 10 Paralympians delivered the nation’s best-ever performance, bringing home two gold medals and a silver. Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu retained her 50m and 100m backstroke S2 titles, raising her total to seven Paralympic golds. Meanwhile, Tan won a historic silver in boccia.
Mr. Tong also mentioned that some athletes’ families and coaches will be invited to the Parliament session, recognizing their unwavering support. He said: “They are the invaluable team behind the team, standing by our athletes with steadfast support and limitless passion for Team Singapore. Their contribution has been everything to us.”
Looking ahead, preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and the 2032 Brisbane Games are already underway. Mr. Tong commented: “We will take the experience and lessons from the Paris campaign, build on our achievements, and move forward.”
In 2016, Joseph Schooling received a standing ovation in Parliament for winning Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal in the 100m butterfly in Rio de Janeiro. Later that year, a 13-member Paralympic contingent, including Yip, was also honored in Parliament.